Engadget trying out some crowd-funding

Engadget has decided to give this whole crowd-funding thing a try with a competition called Insert Coin. This is part of an upcoming event called Expand that is supposed to let us get inside information on gadget construction and conception. This actually sounds refreshing compared to the giant commercial that other tech conferences can be (This is why Hackaday has never returned to CES).

Insert Coin is a contest that has hardware at the forefront. If you qualify, you could win $25,000 for your device as well as $1,000 to come show it off at their event.

To qualify, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:

Existing products / updates to existing products will not be accepted.

Product should not be officially announced, though those with limited coverage will be assessed on an individual basis.

Product must not have an existing Kickstarter, Indiegogo or other crowdfunding effort already underway.

Companies must be ready to launch crowdfunding campaigns around the event.

Products must fall within Engadget’s coverage scope.

Products must have a hardware component and not be purely software or web services in origin.

Inventors will need a working prototype or other presentation for a team of Engadget editors ahead of the event.

Simulations or product renderings will not suffice to enter Insert Coin; what you have to show to us must be functional.

No products from major manufacturers will be accepted.

The rules seem fair and straight forward, and you know that we love the hardware focus of it all. We’ll be watching to see what comes out of this!

Surely Hackaday didn’t go to THE consumer electronics show expecting a techie conference? Although it’s a bit entertaining to picture that :) All in All it reads like it too is a consumer electronics exposition. Not there’s something wrong with that, most hackers purchase consumer electronics as well. Hopefully expand is more akin to the Dayton Hamvention, and the NSRA Street Rod Nationals that it is to the CES,only time will tell. Unfortunately for many hackers they need to hit it out of the ball park at the first time at bat.

HAD Please do not go. This isn’t meant to be a bash at CES it just is not what most if not all of us here want to see. Having had products at CES I can say what there basically comes down to 3 types of items. Polished finished nice production ready products. Polished finished craptastic chinese hello kitty like product, or the last and all to common vaporware. To be honest the only semi hackable item i can remember of recent years at CES was the chumby, that’s not exactly the best track record for going to a show for hacking i guess is what I’m saying.

They have lots of stuff that is not normally covered by the mainstream tech sites at CES. Plus that vaporware you mention gives you some interesting ideas, some of which are used as a basis for hacks later on.